Miwa Asao swaps beach volleyball gear for glamour of Paris fashion weekThursday 15th January, 04:00 AM JST -- TOKYO --Pro beach volleyball star Miwa Asao, 22, showed off the dress she will make her Paris Fashion Week debut in, at a Tokyo hotel this week. World-renowned fashion designer Yumi Katsura, 76, spent half a year completing the dress worth approximately 5 million yen. Katsura said she was inspired by the passion of American actress-singer Liza Minnelli, and designed it in the image of a young bird cruising through the sky.Asao expressed her concerns about modeling in the Spring-Summer 2009 event on Jan 27, but said she was happy to be chosen. She also said: “It’s a really beautiful dress. When I saw myself in it, and with the make-up done for me, I thought I looked like an adult.”Katsura said: “I wanted someone with beautiful legs for the short dress, and tailored it to suit Asao’s great body.”